A Different Birthday
by BrandiAlyssa
Summary: New member of the Torchwood team, Dr. Alyssa Garwood, has a run in with an alien three days before her birthday. Then, as festivities begin in the Hub, a childhood nightmare begins to take hold. Mostly JackxOC with bits of Janto in the beginning.


**A Different Birthday**

written by Trisana of Burns

* * *

**AN:** First Torchwood fic, first fic in a while. Title's kind of random, wasn't going to put this up but decided last minute that I would. I've only seen the first season and through 2x04 ("Meat"), though I know Tosh and Owen both die. Characters are a bit off most likely, I wrote this at 2 in the morning after having a Torchwood marathon. Mostly JackxOC but slight bits of Janto (only cause I had to).

R&R as always please.

* * *

The doors slid open smoothly and I entered office; it's not an office in the normal sense, considering there are strange gadgets and gizmos lying around, not to mention the pterodactyl hiding somewhere above. As I look around I see that the others were here already. Gwen was tossing a ball back and forth with Owen, Tosh was working at her station, and Ianto was making some of the industrial strength coffee that tends to get us through the day. I looked up to the glass-walled office and the man that stood looking down at us. Captain Jack Harkness, leader of Torchwood Three, and a man that I admire. I grinned at him and turned to speak with Gwen and Owen.

I took a cup from the tray Ianto carried and looked back up to the office. As if on cue, Jack began his descent to join the rest of us. "Morning, Jack," I said.

"Morning," he replied with a grin as he descended the stairs. "Tell me again why you're so positive in the morning?"

I only smiled brightly. "Someone has to be; when I first came, you lot didn't do much until two in the afternoon or the first report of activity." I turned from them and sat at my station, regarding the toffee colored liquid. I never used to drink this much coffee; it would make me hyperactive as hell. But I've learned that with this lot, you need all the caffeine you can get.

"What are we going to learn about you today?"

The sudden statement caused me to look up. "Excuse me?"

"Well," Jack said, "we know that your name is Alyssa Haley Garwood; you are a single twenty-three year old and the youngest member of our team. You were recruited to Torchwood after handling a rogue alien on your own. You are also an American, born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Crane, in the southeast side of the state. After attaining your BA in Biology at Berea College, you obtained your Masters in Wildlife and Botany at Western Washington University; you recently graduated from Questview University with a Doctorate in World Wildlife and Botany, but you now know almost as much about the alien fauna and flora as you do those from Terra Firma. You were here doing research when the alien attacked and I offered you a job. Your parents think you're doing some sort of long term research for a company here in Cardiff. Did I miss anything?"

So what if I've said less than that. So what if they had to do some digging; that's our job. I almost laughed aloud though. "You forgot one tiny thing." Jack's eyebrow raised in question and I fought another fit of giggles. "My birthday is in three days."

The captain tapped his head. "Oh yes, your birthday is August 21, 1985."

"Now you got it." I was just turning to my computer when Tosh spoke.

"There's been a 'monster' sighting. Reports say that it has been seen searching various areas, muttering something that sounds like 'Torchwood'."

Gwen, Owen, Ianto, and I gathered our stuff as Jack looked at the data that was brought up. He asked, "Where is it?"

The Japanese woman turned. "Here, just outside. Look." She pulled up the CCTV and pointed. "There, that's it."

"Okay, folks, looks like it's in our own backyard." Jack led us, including Tosh, out the main door and around to the fountain.

Patrolling around the base of the fountain was the 'monster'. It was of average human height, slightly taller than my five-six but shorter than Jack. Dark skin stretched over muscles not covered by leather armor. The eyes that focused on us were dark, but intelligent. I can tell you, I wanted nowhere near that thing; it looked like it could snap me in two.

"There's a rumor going around that you're looking for us." Jack's voice traveled clearly across the open space.

Its voice was gravely. "Torchwood." Yeah, defiantly don't want to go near it.

Jack stayed in place, but the rest of us fanned out to surround the being, Gwen and Owen to the left and me, Tosh, and Ianto to the right. "What can we do for you tonight?"

"I want to go home."

"We might be able to help with that, but then we might not. I don't think we have what you need though." Jack watched the creature carefully.

"You took my transporter. I want it back."

"We took it did we? I don't remember taking anything."

"Two nights ago, I watched you."

The captain rubbed his chin thoughtfully before smiling. "Oh, you want that thing. That's a slight problem then; you see it's been broken down to pieces."

Before anyone could move more than to reach for their guns, the alien had grabbed one of us. Unfortunately, it was me. When I said it looked like it could snap me into pieces, I wasn't kidding. It held me tight to its front by gripping my neck tight in one of those dark hands; my neck was going to be sore for weeks if I ever got out of this. You know when you're younger and you're wrestling around with the siblings how one of them, especially the older ones, would sometimes put their arm around your neck and squeeze. Imagine that, about ten times worse and there's no one you can yell to for help. I could feel the fear coursing through me; I was scared for my life. I was having trouble breathing now and tried to pry the hand from my windpipe so I could drag air in. Kicking and scratching, I fought, but nothing worked. My limbs tired and I turned my eyes on my hero, the one who I knew would find a way. I saw his hand on his gun and the determination in his eyes as he tried to form a plan. My gasps slowed and a haze filled my mind. I was slipping and there was nothing I could do. Just as I was about to close my eyes, the pressure lightened and I dragged a deep breath into my starved lungs. For a few minutes I could see and hear clearly again.

"… 10 minutes, then you'll have it. Just don't harm her. Owen, Ianto, go." I could feel eyes on me again. Jack had his gun drawn and pointed towards me. I tried to figure out what he was doing when my mind went all foggy again. I could hear but I couldn't quite understand. "But harm her and I'll shoot."

The alien laughed, its body vibrating behind me. "You'll risk hitting her so you can kill me?"

"If that's what it takes to keep her alive. Alys," I could hear his voice calling to me through the fog and tried to latch on to it, "don't fall asleep on me. Try to stay awake."

I fought so hard, concentrating on that voice, that person, my captain. I heard footsteps coming closer and the vibration of my captor speaking, but saw nothing except him. The grip on my neck loosened briefly before clamping down and effectively cutting off my air. Darkness overwhelmed me and I knew no more.

* * *

I watched Alyssa's eyes widen before sliding shut; she hit the ground and lay still on the pavement. I popped off two rounds and dropped the bastard dead. I ran to Alyssa's side, cradling her head against my shoulder. "Alys, come on, sweetheart, wake up." I gently slapped her cheeks, trying to bring her around; nothing worked. "Owen, with me. The rest of you, get this beast out of my sight." I scooped Alyssa up and walked away from the sight, Owen close behind.

Alyssa remained quiet in my arms as I took her down into the Hub. Owen jumped ahead and cleared off the old couch so I could put her down. I stayed beside her as he checked her over. I can't quite piece together what happened after that, but I remember Owen saying she'd be fine. I think Ianto brought be a chair so I wasn't crouched the whole time. Everyone went home sometime ago. I remember watching her, though, waiting for her to wake. I looked at my watch and saw it's almost one in the morning; Alyssa's been out for nearly twelve hours and she still hasn't opened her eyes. God, I wanted to see those blue eyes.

"Come on, Alys, open those beautiful blue eyes." She moved her shoulders but remained asleep. "I guess I'm going to have to wake you up the fun way." I twisted down to my knee and leaned over her. I kept her hand tucked firmly in one of mine and with the other I pushed her dark blonde hair away from her face; she was so peaceful while she slept.

"Jack, what are you doing?" I jerked back, blue eyes following me.

"I was just trying to wake you, is all. You've been out for nearly half the day."

She tucked one elbow beneath her and sat up. "Were you going to kiss me?"

I grinned slightly. "Maybe and then again, maybe not."

Alyssa rolled her eyes. "I don't want maybes. If you were going to kiss me, get over here and finish the job."

I laughed and leaned in closer. "Yes, ma'am." I don't care if I live forever, that kiss is one thing I'm never going to forget and would love to relive every day. When I pulled away for lack of oxygen, there was a soft smile on her face. At that point, everything was perfect, until her smile turned into something that spoke of shock and horror. "What's wrong, Alys?"

"Ianto." She bolted to her feet. "Oh God, I'm so sorry, Ianto." I turned and saw the young man standing near the main entrance. Alyssa was down the stairs and out the door before either of us said anything.

"Maybe Owen was right," Ianto's voice carried up to me. "Maybe I am just a passing shag."

He turned to go to when I stopped him. "You're not, Ianto; trust me, you're not." I collapsed on the couch and buried my head in my hands. "I just don't know anymore." I felt Ianto sit down beside me as I spoke. "I love you, I do, but I'm falling in love with her, oh God am I falling in love with Alys. I didn't think I was possible for me to feel this way again, but I don't know what to do." The other man wrapped his arms around my shoulders and, for the first time in a while, I just cried.

* * *

I ran. The look in Ianto's eyes, that look of betrayal, I couldn't handle it. It's my fault that it was there. I had just made it out of the tourist office when the first wave of pain hit me. It shot from my head all the way to my toes and back up. My legs almost gave way but I made it to my car before the second wave hit. I opened the back door and crawled in; the pain wasn't letting me go anywhere. That night I slept in fits, but every time I closed my eyes, the voice was there.

The voice always said the same thing, but added more every time. _"He could be yours,"_ it said the first time. By the time the sun rose, the pain was gone, but the voice had formed a whole speech. _"He could be yours, Captain Jack, but that tea-boy is in the way. Get him out of the way and the immortal one is all yours. Not even his precious doctor will be able to pry him away. If you won't do it, let me have access to your body and I'll do it. They'll never know."_

It was about then that I jerked awake. Something was trying to take over my body, but it was not going to win. I scrambled out of the car and opened the trunk. I learned that it was generally a good idea to keep a change of clothes or two around, just in case. I changed in the car and smoothed my hair back. No one would know I didn't go home, well, unless they check the CCTV's. The moment I opened the main door though, the one to the tourist office, I froze.

"Ianto," I whispered, turning my head in shame. His hand on my shoulder made me look up.

"It's okay. Jack explained everything."

"Still… still friends then?"

He smiled and nodded. "Still friends." As I headed through the open door, pain jolted across my back. "You okay, Alyssa?"

"Yeah," I said with a grimace. "Must have hurt my back yesterday. I just need to go down and sit." I went down, ignoring the slight pain, and sat at my station. On my screen was the report I had been working on the day before. I had just started on it when Jack's voice caught my attention.

"Alys, can I speak with you?"

I entered the office and found the captain moving papers around. "You wanted to see me?"

He spoke without looking up. "Why didn't you go home last night?" Before I had said a thing, he continued. "You got in the back seat of your car and didn't leave. I watched the tape; you looked like you were having some sort of nightmare."

I argued with myself then. Was I going to tell him about the voice or not? "It was nothing. They were nightmares I used to have as a kid, nothing real big."

He gave me the look that said he didn't believe me but said nothing. "How's the report coming?"

"Fine, sir. It'll be on your desk by morning."

He nodded. Jack still hasn't really looked at me; sure, he gave me that look, but he looked away right after. "Great. You can go back to work."

I was about to turn when the thought that was in my mind tumbled out. "Why won't you look at me, Jack? Is it because of what happened last night?"

He looked up, his blue-grey eyes locking with mine. "Last night made me… re-evaluate things. I just need some time to think things over." I bobbed my head and went back to my report.

When I next looked up from my report, some ten paragraphs later, my eyes settled on the calendar. Today was Wednesday, August 19th; my twenty-fourth birthday was in two days. I couldn't help but wonder if I would spend it this year as I had last, alone in my apartment. I didn't expect a big fuss, didn't really want one; it would be nice, however, if someone noticed, if someone cared. It would be nice to be loved too, by someone outside the family. There was once a time when I thought I needed a boyfriend to get along; there I go, sounding like Haruka in _High School Debut_. But to be loved, to be cherished, that'd be something. I just want someone to cherish me for who I am, not what my brain can do. God knows I'm only average in looks. My curly dark blond hair nearly reaches my waist, I have blue eyes that hide behind glasses, and I'm tall-ish. Listen to me rant; I'm nearly twenty-four and I've never had a boyfriend.

I was typing the last paragraph when Tosh spoke up. "We've got another report coming in. Looks like there's a weevil on the loose."

"Gwen, Owen, you're with me. We'll get it." Jack stormed down the stairs, his RAF greatcoat flapping behind him.

They were gone, Tosh rounded my station. "What's with you and Jack? It's like he's been avoiding you all day."

"That's because he has been. Something happened between the two of us last night. He says he has to think it over a bit." I yawned, my hand covering my mouth. My eyes went to the watch on my wrist. "Is is seven already?" I printed off the report and stood. "I'm going to leave this on Jack's desk and head out. Maybe I'll get a real sleep tonight."

It was just my luck, though, that as soon as I crawled into bed and closed my eyes, the voice began its speech again. It wasn't even being creative; it was the same monologue from the night before. Around five in the morning I gave up trying to sleep. I took a long shower and took the time to make a real breakfast, instead of the cold cereal I usually had. I did the dishes, drank almost a full pot of coffee, and it hadn't even hit nine yet. I tried to nap, but every time I closed my eyes, it was there. I gave up and went to work. I leaned over my desk and rubbed my eyes.

"You okay, Alys?"

I sat up at the voice of Jack. "Yeah, just a bit tired is all. Didn't sleep all that well last night."

"Nightmares again?"

"Yeah, but they're nothing; I'm sure they'll stop soon."

"What were these dreams like? What happened in them?"

I really didn't want to say, but Jack can be so damn persuasive. "I'm possessed by this thing and it forces me to kill. The victims are always my friends and family. When I was a child, the targets would be my parents, my siblings, or my best friend. Now, these last two nights, it's been you guys, my friends. I can't sleep because every time I close my eyes, one of you has been killed at my hands." Jack opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted him. "I know you can't die, Jack, but whenever it's you, you can't come back. I just want the dreams to stop; I want to sleep again." Tears crawled down my cheeks. Jack's arms wrapped around my shoulders and I cried; I cried harder than I had in a long time. "God, Jack, just make them go away."

I could feel him moving his left arm, reaching for something on my desk. "Here, drink this." I took the proffered half full water bottle and drained it. He waited a minute and said, "There. Do you feel any better now?"

I shook my head; it was getting all foggy again. "A bit, I still feel… Damn you, Jack. I don't want to sleep now. You… drugged… me." I let my head slump forward on his shoulder and slept.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, my first reaction was to panic. I was in a bed in a room I didn't know. I took in my surroundings quickly; the only way out was a ladder going up. When my head popped above the hatch, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was still in Torchwood, as a matter of fact, I was in Jack's office. I hauled myself up and looked around. No one was here, well almost no one. Jack was asleep on the couch below. I checked the time and descended down to him. He looked so much younger when he slept, much younger than his 200-odd years. Sitting on the edge of the couch, I touched his shoulder gently and called his name. I was rewarded by the slow flickering of his eyes.

He looked up at me with that irresistible, contagious smile of his. "I think I've been woken by an angel."

I blushed and turned away. "Stop it, Jack. I am no angel and neither are you; shame on you, Captain, for giving me sedatives."

"It worked, didn't it? You slept a whole night without dreams." I smiled in response. "The others will be here soon. Hope they bring coffee." Just as he said it, Ianto walked in, a tray of coffee in his capable hands. "A life saver is what you are, Ianto Jones."

I stood from my place and walked away. As the others came in one by one, my happiness at the day sunk. I knew it would be too good to be true; no one remembered what I had told them just days before. Today was the day, it was my birthday and no one's said anything yet. I'll just give them some time; see if they have anything planned.

Ianto and Gwen had stepped out to get lunch when Jack called me up. He seems to be doing that a lot lately. As Jack was speaking, I heard the great cog door open and close, but thought nothing of it. The captain did seem to be making a lot of small talk though and it was beginning to frustrate me.

"What's the point of this, Jack? I have work to do, if you don't mind."

He did that smile again. "You don't have any work to do right now." He stepped behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. "At this point in time," he turned me to face out, "you have a party to attend."

In the short time that I had been in the office, Owen and Tosh had thrown up decorations and Ianto and Gwen had brought in a cake and goodies. Jack led me down to the festivities, as I was still in slight shock.

"I-I thought you had forgotten." I hadn't had a proper party since my graduation, over a year ago.

"Us forget your birthday?" Owen mocked. "Never."

"I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything and make a wish." Gwen presented me with a beautiful white cake, twenty-four candles burning brightly. Now, I'm not going to tell you what I wished for, but it was good though I only half hoped it would come true. Only half because it would hurt as much as it did good.

I hadn't taken more than a bite of my cake when the pain, that shooting pain that touched every part of me, flared up and persisted. The cake went flying from my hand and I dropped to my knees. My hands covered my ears as I tried to block out the voice; I wasn't even asleep and that voice was plaguing me.

"_Kill them,"_ it said.

"No!" I could feel hands on me, the hands of my friends. "There's something in my head. Help me!"

"_If you won't do it I will."_ I could feel something trying to take control of my mind. Scrambling to my feet, I stumbled out the door. All I could think of was getting away from my friends, keeping _it_ from them. I felt the afternoon wind and ran; I was going as fast as I could when I tripped. I lay there, sprawled on the pavement, when I heard them.

"Alys!"

"Alyssa!"

"Stay away from me!" I yelled. "It's trying to make me kill you." I could feel it taking control, making me move. I screamed at the pain that was horrible beyond anything. I fought to retain part of my mind; the thing that possessed me seemed content to allow me my vision, voice, emotions, and sanity, but everything else was lost to it. I fought back as my body moved without me. My teammates stood before me, Jack and Ianto in the center, Tosh and Owen to one side and Gwen to the other. "Please," I begged of my friends, "get away from here." My gun raised and centered on Ianto. Tears slid down my cheeks, knowing what I was about to do. "I'm so sorry." The trigger squeezed and one of my friends went down. When the weapon dropped to the ground the being left me and I went down too. With my last conscious thought, I prayed I had hit Jack.

* * *

My eyes opened when I heard someone calling my name. Jack was hovering over me, my right hand in his. "There's my hero." I could see movement on the edges of my vision and I looked around as best I could. "Where's—there he is." I saw Jack's eyes flick up to the young man crouching beside us and back down to me. I raised my hand and set it on his knee. "It was aiming for you, Yan, but I wouldn't let it. I wasn't about to let it kill you."

I could feel my eyes getting heavier; I wanted to sleep, but Jack laughed and spoke. "So you aimed for me instead?"

A grin spread across my lips as I answered. "I knew you wouldn't die, my hero. You're too strong for that and you've got too many people that rely on you." There was something else I wanted to say, but it slipped my mind as I sank into sleep.

* * *

I should be used to waking up in places other than my bed by now. I mean, I've slept on the couch in the Hub, in the backseat of my car, in that bed under Jack's office (I'm thinking it is Jack's bed), so it should be no surprise if I wake up somewhere new again. Well, it wasn't exactly new, just different; I was in that room again.

The first thing I noticed, once I was awake, was the slight weight around my waist. I was lying on my side, so I couldn't really tell who was behind me, but I knew there was someone there. I looked down the line of my body and realized the weight was from human arms. Okay, so in the best case scenario it's Jack. I was about to fall back asleep when something hit me, the memory of just days before. Pulling myself from the embrace, I curled against the wall, as far away from the captain as possible.

He jerked awake and looked over at me, then smiled. "Come back, Alys; come back to sleep." I shook my head; I wasn't going to do it again. "Why—aah," he seemed to get it. "You're worried about Yan, aren't you?" I nodded, tears falling. "Come here then, I want to tell you something." I crept closer and listened. "While it's true that Ianto and I love each other, we've both found someone we love more, someone we can't live without. A couple weeks ago, Ianto met a charming young woman, Melody Fort, I believe, is her name. I've met her a couple times; she's completely perfect for Yan, even more so than I was. After everything that's happened these last couple of days, I told him to go with her and be happy."

I listened and thought. Jack gave up the person he loved so they could be happier. First he did it with Gwen, letting her marry Rhys without him saying anything, and now he's let Ianto go. "What about you, Jack? You've let go of those who brought you some speck of normalcy. Who do you have now?"

His eyes were soft as he looked down at me. "I have the right kind of doctor and you. If you'll have me, that is."

"What time is it? Is it still my birthday?"

The clock beside the bed showed 11:55 PM in bright red numbers. "Looks like you still have five minutes left of August 21st."

I smiled and hooked my hands behind his neck. "Of all the presents I could have got this year, this is by far the best."

I won't go into any detail, you can use your imaginations, but let's just say that I was one very happy person in the morning.

* * *

**AN:** If you see anything grammatically wrong, point it out. I was doing this in the early hours of the morning. Working on a few more fics hopefully up in the next few weeks. Also working on my original story _Acadara_ found on DeviantART or


End file.
